Holes by Louis Sachar

Holes by Louis Sachar

From the back cover: Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake where the boys build character by spending all day, every day, digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep.

There's something about books where the protagonist is treated unfairly. You automatically root for him. The sides of good and evil are clear and you know in the end that he will come out ahead and say "ha, ha!"

It's a good book although I still don't get what all the ravings over it are about. It has a feel good ending that relies a lot on circumstance which we tend to all go "ahhh" over. The ends all tie up neatly and all the pieces fall into place. Stanley is a likeable guy and so are the other kids in the camp. The adults are the bad guys, which I have no problem with. This is a kids book and kids like to feel that they can rise above the oppressors and be the heroes.

A fun book with a fun ending. Most definitely a fantasy although there isn't a unicorn or magic sword in sight. Sacher knows how to write for kids and remembers what being a kid is about and even manages to put in lessons of friendship, persistence and honor without hitting you over the head with it.

Other Books by Louis Sacher


And there is a movie which I haven't seen.